Lies and Love
by SaffronAngel
Summary: Jessie and Julie deal with Gage's seeming indifference to their pain at Sydney's condition.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: Not mine. I can wish though.

SUMMARY: When Gage's sister goes missing from the airport, can he and Sydney get past their unresolved issues in order to work together to find her and get her back?

A/N: This is my first attempt at a Walker fanfic. Please don't flame if I get the characters a little off.

* * *

"Jessie, is everything set up? Francis will meet your plane?"

"Of course, Sharon. I talked to him just last night." Jessica Gage was lying. She hadn't talked to her older brother in months. He didn't know she was coming to Dallas. No one there knew. She missed her older brother and wanted to spend a little time with him.

"Okay. You know why I'm so protective of you?"

"Sharon, I'm blind, not helpless. If he doesn't happen to be there, I do have his phone number to call and remind him. But he promised to be there and I tend to take him at his word."

"I know, honey. But you've never been to Dallas. I'm just scared that you'll get lost in such a big city."

Jessie stood up to go up to her room. "I know. Just trust me. After all Frank won't let me down. He never has."

"See you in the morning then."

"See you then." Jessie went up to her room where she lay down, unable to sleep. She was so excited that Sharon was letting her go. Sharon hadn't let her really go much of anywhere without her in about four years. That was one reason why she was lying about Frank picking her up at the airport. It was her way of proving that she was able to take care of herself. Not hearing from Frank for more than six months was another reason to go.

* * *

Francis Gage was sitting at his desk working on the endless mountain of paperwork that he had sitting in front of him. It seemed like the reports never ended.

"Gage, ready for lunch?" Sydney asked as she walked up to the desk.

He looked up at the woman who was his partner, the woman he wanted so much more from. "Sure. CD's?"

"Why not?" Syd loved the food at the former Ranger's bar. Gage stood up and grabbed the jacket off the back of his chair, following his petite partner as they left the office, not realizing how much things would change in the next few hours.

* * *

Jessie had gotten off the plane okay and was waiting out in front of the airport for the cab to pick her up. What she didn't know is that someone had been watching her since she stepped off the plane and had decided that she would make a fine addition to the girls he was shipping out in a week to an Arab sheik.

A white van pulled up in front of her and the driver got out. "Miss Gage?"

"Yes."

"I'm your taxi driver. I'm here to take you to your destination." He gently took her elbow so as not to frighten her into making a scene. She didn't like that though.

"Let go. I can get myself into a cab."

"I'm just trying to help you, miss."

"I understand that. I'm blind not helpless. I'm more than capable of getting into a vehicle by myself."

He let her go before she could cause a scene but he didn't realize that a taxi driver who had been sent to pick up a blind woman was nearby. "Excuse me. I was sent to pick this woman up. Who are you?" he asked as he approached the young woman.

"Back off, buddy." The man grabbed Jessie's arm firmly and pulled a gun, shooting the driver.

"What's going on?" Jessie asked. "Who just got shot?" She was no stranger to gunfire. After all, her brother was a Texas Ranger and her foster father and brothers went hunting every year.

"You're coming with me. I'll make a fortune off of you." The man pulled and pushed until he had Jessie in the van. He drove off, not knowing that the driver wasn't dead and that the Rangers had been called over the whole situation.

* * *

Sitting at CD's, Gage and Syd were enjoying a peaceful lunch until Gage's cell phone rang. "Gage." He listened intently for a moment and then hung up and turned to Syd. "Apparently, a young woman was just abducted from the airport. We need to go."

"We'll see you later, CD," Syd called out as the two of them ran out to get in the car.

Driving down the street toward the airport, Gage's phone rang again. He answered it.

"Francis, this is Sharon. I was just calling to see if Jessie had gotten in okay."

"What do you mean, Sharon?"

"She didn't call to tell you that she was flying in today?"

"No. I had no idea that she was coming in. Maybe she just hadn't called me yet."

"Francis, I have a feeling that something's terribly wrong. As soon as you hear from her, please call me. I don't know what's going on." Sharon had a sudden dark feeling flooding through her. Jessie might not be her actual daughter but she loved her just the same. And she worried about the young woman.

"I will, Sharon. I promise. I have to go for now. I'll call as soon as I hear something." With that, Gage hung up the phone and swore, slamming his hand down on the wheel.

"What's wrong, Gage?"

"Apparently, my little sister, Jessie, told her foster mother that I was aware that she was flying into Dallas today. And suddenly, I'm getting a bad feeling about all this.


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: Not mine. I can wish though.

SUMMARY: When Gage's sister goes missing from the airport, can he and Sydney get past their unresolved issues in order to work together to find her and get her back?

A/N: This is my first attempt at a Walker fanfic. Please don't flame if I get the characters a little off.

* * *

Gage and Sydney pulled up in front of the airport not even five minutes later. Walker and Trivette were already there.

"What's going on, Walker?" Gage asked as they ran up to their friend.

"Apparently, a young woman was taken from here at gunpoint. A cab driver was shot. The young woman was apparently blind and, from what some of the people here have said, she was quite pretty. Long honey blond hair and emerald green eyes. She was slender and apparently young."

"Eighteen." Gage was heartbroken. It had to be her. She had been taken. He sat down on the curb and put his head in his hands. He couldn't believe that his baby sister was missing.

"What? How would you know?" Trivette asked the question, not realizing what Gage was going through.

"Because she's my sister. She lied to her foster parents and told them that I would be picking her up here today. She lied to them in order to come down here to spend some time with me. Now, she's missing. She's missing and I have to find her."

He stood up. "Gage, we'll find her," Walker started. "But you know that the department's going to have a problem with you being on the case. Especially since she's your sister."

"Walker, I have to be in the thick of this. I couldn't stand to sit on the sidelines and watch with this. Please. You have to help me."

Walker sighed. He wanted to help his friend but he knew that the department would never go for this.

* * *

Gage was sitting in CD's not knowing what else to do. The department had put him on LOA until they were certain that he wasn't going to interfere. _Not interfere? Yeah. Riiiiight._

A hand settled on his shoulder and he grabbed the wrist only to hear a sudden intake of breath. He spun around. "Syd!" He let go of her wrist.

"I wanted to let you know what was going on." She sat down across from him. "I made a suggestion to Walker and he said he'd consider it if we can't figure out anything else. Walker has a friend who'll pose as a buyer on the slave market and try to find out if she's on the market. If she is, he'll try to buy her and hopefully, we can get her out that way. If we can't, we may have to use my plan."

"Which is?" Gage asked, not liking the sound of things so far.

"I go undercover and try to get taken by the same guys." Sydney closed her eyes and waited for the explosion. She didn't have long to wait.

"There is no way I'm letting you do that. Not without backup of some kind."

Syd opened her eyes and looked at him. She could see the fear in his eyes; fear that he would never get his sister back.

"Gage, I'll be fine. I know what I'm doing." She was scared but she had to put up a brave front for her partner. She knew that this was killing him, sitting around waiting for some word of his sister.

He knew that Syd could take care of herself, but he still worried. He hadn't had a chance to tell her how much he cared about her. He was such a coward when it came to talking to Syd about that. He was afraid that she didn't feel the same about him.

Syd had never told him how she felt about him and had vowed that she wouldn't unless he brought it up. She was scared to tell him and was afraid that he didn't feel the same about her. She had talked to Alex about it.

**_Flashback_**

"Alex, can I talk to you?" Syd said.

"Sure, Syd. What's up?"

"I need some advice."

"About what? Gage?" Alex smiled when Sydney blushed a brilliant shade of red. "We can all tell how you feel about him. It's usually written all over your face when he's been hurt."

"I – I—" Sydney stammered, not sure how to take that.

"It's okay, Syd. I don't think he knows. But every time you look at him, it becomes more and more obvious. Remember when we found the guys up at Lake Ebby, Gage had been mauled by that bear and Walker was trying to get help when we stumbled into things?"

"I was so scared. I didn't know what to do. He looked so awful just laying there." Syd's eyes welled up with tears at the memory. She had wanted to cry so badly when she had seen how badly he was injured.

"Hey, now. That's part of the past. Don't worry about it anymore. Walker killed the bear." Alex wrapped her arms around the petite woman.

"I know. But thinking about that always reminds me of how easy it would be for him to die and I don't know if I could take that."

"Now isn't the time to think about that. It's time to wonder how you're going to tell him about how you feel." Sydney looked up at her friend.

"But, Alex, what if he doesn't feel the same?"

"I don't think that's a problem. You haven't seen the look on his face when you're hurt or in trouble. He wants nothing more than to protect you. He wants to be there for you no matter what."

"Why do I have trouble believing that?" Syd wasn't sure that she wanted to hear this part. She wasn't sure that she could handle Gage being that big a part of her life, even though it's something that she had wanted for quite a while now.

"I don't know. But you shouldn't. He wants you with him. Do you realize the time when you went undercover in that club, the salsa club, he was almost green with envy when he saw you kiss that guy?" Shock crossed Syd's face.

"How do you know?"

"I overheard him and Walker talking about it a couple of days later. I asked Walker about it and he told me that Gage had never felt like that before. He felt so jealous that he wanted to kill the guy where he stood."

Sydney just stared at her friend. Was Alex saying that the one thing she had wanted since, well, she couldn't remember a time not wanting Gage in her life as more than her partner, could happen? Could it be true? Could she have what she wanted? More importantly, did he want it too?

_**End Flashback**_

"Gage, you know that Walker and Jimmy won't let anything happen to me." She was trying to help him. "We'll do whatever it takes to get your sister back safe and sound. You should know that."

"I know," Gage sighed. "I just don't want to loose you too." He looked down at his hands folded on the table. He knew that this was not the best time to tell Syd how much he loved her.

"Gage, you aren't going to loose me. I'm afraid you're stuck with me for a long time to come." She smiled sadly. It wasn't easy to try to keep his spirits up while she was terrified.

"Just promise me that you'll be careful no matter what happens." Gage looked at Syd and she swore she could see the desperation in his eyes. But whether it was desperation to get his sister back or to protect her she couldn't say.


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: Not mine. I can wish though.

SUMMARY: When Gage's sister goes missing from the airport, can he and Sydney get past their unresolved issues in order to work together to find her and get her back?

A/N: This is my first attempt at a Walker fanfic. Please don't flame if I get the characters a little off.

* * *

Jessie woke up to find herself handcuffed to a bed. She couldn't move off the bed but at least she wasn't in a compromising situation. However, she was very aware that she was completely alone in the room.

"Hello? Hello?" she called, biting down on a rising desire to scream. "Can anyone hear me?"

When no answer came, she felt her panic rising higher. With her free hand, she reached into her pocket and found her clicker.

Taking several deep breaths, she managed to center her thoughts and started mapping the room using echolocation. At least, she'd know how big the room was.

After several moments, realizing that this wasn't all that big a room, she gave up. Curling her feet under her, she felt tears start running down her cheeks as she whispered into the silence, "Frank, where are you?"

The men who had taken Jessie were talking to the sheik they wanted to sell Jessie to. They showed him pictures of the young woman.

"She will be perfect for my son. He has yet to choose a wife and turns 20 in just three months." He smiled at the men. "Of course, you will provide proof that she is a virgin."

"Of course, Highness. Our doctor will examine her tomorrow and repeatedly until the day you claim her. That way there can be no mistakes."

"If I were to pay you for her now, would you hold her until my son's birthday?"

"It would be our pleasure. She will be safe with us."

"She must remain a virgin until he beds her for the first time," the sheik cautioned.

"Of course, Highness. We would never dream of defiling your property."

"Just remember that. She belongs to my son and is therefore under my protection."

"Of course. As always, Your Highness, a pleasure doing business with you."

* * *

Sydney knocked on Gage's door. She didn't want to be the one to tell him this but someone had to and she'd rather he hear it from her than anyone other than Walker, who was busy at headquarters trying to get them to let Gage come back to work, at least at the office.

She was also scared because she knew that this meant she would have to go undercover and try to get the same guys to nab her. Gage would fight this one but it had to be done and she was the best bet for the job.

"Yeah." Gage opened the door and Syd could tell he hadn't slept a wink.

"I hate to say it, Gage. You look like shit."

"Love you too, Syd," he said, turning around and walking further into his apartment. She took that as a sign to follow him and was amazed at how many beer cans she saw littering the place.

"What's going on with you?" she asked, not really sure that she wanted to hear the answer.

"Do you really need to ask? My sister's missing and I can't lift a finger to help." He sunk down onto the couch and buried his head in his hands. She had never seen him look like this, not even the time that Julie went missing.

"No. I don't need to ask. But I want to know why this sister being missing seems to be hitting you harder when Julie went missing."

"Because she's blind. She's blind and it's all my fault." He blurted out, looking up at her.

"What do you mean it's your fault?"

"If I hadn't needed to go out running around with my friends that night, Jessie wouldn't have had to go with Mom and Dad. She wouldn't have been involved in the accident and she wouldn't be blind right now." He got up and went to the window. Syd could tell by the sound of his voice that he was lost in his memories.

**_Flashback_**

"Francis Gage, we don't ask you to watch your sister very often. You'd think we made you do this every night."

"Mom, you just don't get it. Trevor Daniels is the most popular boy in my class. If I don't go to this party, my social life is totally down the tubes." A seventeen-year-old Francis looked at his mother with puppy dog eyes.

"Fine. Go. Just don't ask us to do anything for you for quite some time." His father was tired of listening to him whine about this party. Turning to his wife, Alexander Gage was placating. "It's okay, sweetheart. Look at it as some quality time with our youngest. We really don't get much time with her lately."

Later that night, Francis was ready for the party. Jessie was sitting on the couch being a good girl when he sat down next to her. "See you in the morning, kiddo."

"Stay." She spoke the single word clearly looking into his eyes.

"I can't. I have to go to this party. I'll be here in the morning. OK?"

"Kay," the three-year-old whimpered. He saw the bottom lip start to quiver and knew that if he didn't take off fast, he'd give in. He never could resist Jessie's tears.

Kissing her forehead, the young man took off out the door, never realizing that his baby sister would never see his face again.

_**End Flashback**_

"That's why it's hitting me so hard, Syd. I'm the reason that she's blind. She's never said that she blames me but I know it's my fault."

Syd walked up to Gage and turned him around to look into her eyes. "No. Don't say that. You were just being a typical teenager. It's not your fault."

"It is. I know it." Syd led her partner back to the couch and got him to sit down. She sat next to him and wrapped her arms around him, pulling his head into her shoulder. He decided it would be better on her for him to lay down with his head in her lap. His tears tore at Sydney as she brushed his hair back from his face.

"Sssshhhh. It's okay. We'll find her and she'll be fine. You'll see."

The next thing anyone knew the two of them were both asleep on the couch.


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: Not mine. I can wish though.

SUMMARY: When Gage's sister goes missing from the airport, can he and Sydney get past their unresolved issues in order to work together to find her and get her back?

A/N: This is my first attempt at a Walker fanfic. Please don't flame if I get the characters a little off.

* * *

Four hours later, Gage woke up to his phone ringing. He sat up rather quickly. That was when he realized that his head had been resting on Sydney's lap and she had one hand resting on his head. She was asleep with her head tipped back against the back of the couch.

He reached out his hand and grabbed his phone. "Gage."

"Gage, it's Walker. Is Sydney there?"

"Yeah, boss. She's here."

"Has she told you what we found out yet?"

Gage's heart leapt into his throat. "No. I didn't really give her the chance."

"Well, to start with, my contact found out who had your sister. Gage, it's not good. She's being held by white slavers who've apparently already sold her to a sheik in the Middle East." Walker took a deep breath. "Apparently, he's told them to hold on to her until his son's birthday in three months. We have just that long to find her and get her away from them."

"That's better news than telling me that you don't have a clue as to where she is." Gage was trying to see a silver lining. His boss hated to be the one to take that away from him.

"The bad news is that no one knows where they're keeping her."

"Thanks for letting me know, boss. I appreciate that you're at least keeping me in the loop." Gage hung up before Walker had a chance to tell him the really bad news: Sydney had to go undercover.

If these guys didn't grab Sydney, they wouldn't stand a chance in hell of finding Jessie before they moved her. The good news on that front was that word had gone out that they were looking for a young woman who could be a kind of assistant to a blind girl that Walker was guessing was Jessie.

Sydney had posed the plan before they had ever known about the slavers. She would go undercover and try to get these guys to grab her so that she could find Jessie and protect her.

Walker could only hope that Sydney would tell him and that she could make him see that it was their only chance to find Jessie.

* * *

"Hey, Shorty." Gage was trying to wake Syd up. He knew that she had come here for a reason and he wanted to know that reason.

"Hey, Gage. Feeling better?"

"I am. Look, Walker called here just a little while ago and was asking if you'd talked to me about something. What was it that you were supposed to talk to me about?"

She was awake now. "I have to go undercover. The guys that have Jessie, they're looking for someone to help her. At least we think it's her. I'm going to try to get them to take me." She saw the look on his face and spoke up before he could. "It's the only way to find her. I'll be able to protect her. We've already got things worked out. I'll have a subcutaneous tracker. They won't know anything about it."

"Syd, no. This isn't a good idea." The main thought that was running rampant through Gage's mind was that Syd would have no way to call for help if needed. What could happen to her without backup? He shook his head; he couldn't afford to think on that right now. "What about backup?"

"Walker's already said that he wouldn't leave me in there for more than about 24 hours and he'd be right outside the whole time. He just wants to give me enough time to find Jessie and let her know what's going on." She put her hand on his arm. "I'll be fine. You know that."

He shook his head again. "No I don't and neither do you. You don't know what these guys are capable of. What they might do to you if they find out that you aren't who you say you are."

"Gage, we've considered that. That's why only 24 hours. Less if I can get to her and get her alone long enough to tell her what's going on." Syd was worried; she couldn't deny it. She didn't want to. She was afraid that they might overhear her telling Jessie what was going on.

She stood up and Gage grabbed her arm. "Shorty, please. I can't loose you. You have to be careful."

"I promise. I'll be careful." She smiled at him and left the apartment.

* * *

"Okay, Sydney. I need you to hold very still. This might sting just a bit." The doctor who was inserting the tracker had administered a local anesthetic.

Syd did as she was told and found it didn't hurt much at all.

"Ready, Syd?" asked Walker as soon as the doctor was finished.

"Ready. Is my cover in place?"

"You bet. You're a teacher's aide at a local high school. No family in Dallas and no romantic life. It's the best we could do on such short notice. You start your part tomorrow."

"Okay." Syd kept telling herself that she was ready for this. 'Keep telling yourself that and maybe you'll start to believe it,' she told herself.


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: Not mine. God do I wish though.

SUMMARY: Sydney's gone undercover trying to find Gage's baby sister and help rescue her. But will Sydney need a rescue herself?

* * *

Sydney had been playing her cover at the school for almost seven days before they snatched her.

She had been walking home one afternoon when two arms grabbed her. Pulled down an alley, Syd found herself face to face with a familiar nightmare.

"Michael?" she whispered just before he hit her with an injection, knocking her out.

"Nice to see you again, Sydney," the man smirked, lifting her into his arms and carrying her to the waiting van.

He looked down her arms for the scar the doctor had told him about. Finding it, he flipped out his knife. 'Just as Kevin told me.'

"Well, Sydney, it looks like we get to rekindle our 'close' friendship." Michael was smiling as he carefully sliced open Syd's arm and removed her tracking device. "I'll just lead your little Ranger buddies on a merry goose chase."

When he was finished, he bandaged her arm and drove off.

* * *

Walker had been watching the tracker's signal from his truck. He watched carefully as it stopped three or four different places before moving on.

"These guys must think they're fooling us with all these stops." Trivette was wondering what they were doing.

"Either that or they found the tracker and took it out of Syd's arm. I don't have a good feeling about this." Walker's Cherokee instincts were kicking in; he had a gut feeling that Syd was in trouble and he had no way of knowing if there was any way he could help her.

Gage would not be happy about this.

* * *

Sydney awoke to find herself tied to a bed in a very sparse room. The man who had snatched her sat next to the bed with a very self-satisfied smirk on his face.

"Little Sydney Cooke. Been a long time, honey."

"I was never your honey, Michael. You took advantage of me while you were dating my sister."

"You loved every minute of it."

"Is that why you had to tie me down and gag me so that no one could hear me screaming at you? Is that why I testified at your rape trial? Because I loved every minute of you forcing yourself on a thirteen year old little girl?" Sydney fought the ties that held her to the bed.

"Fight all you want, Syd. You can't get loose from those ties anymore than you could the ones that I put on you all those years ago."

"Let me up from here, Michael. I'll show you what I've learned over the years." Sydney knew that taunting this man was dangerous; he had almost killed her about twenty years ago. Her mind flashed back to those months when he tortured her and then almost killed her.

**_Flashback_**

The first time it happened, Sydney was thirteen. Michael was watching her while her parents took Danielle, Michael's girlfriend and Sydney's older sister out for her eighteenth birthday.

They were alone in the house and Sydney had gone upstairs to take a bath. Michael walked into the bathroom just as Syd had climbed out of the tub.

"What are you doing? Get out of here," Sydney had told him.

"Now, Sydney. You know that we're all alone here. I just want to have a little fun with you. It won't matter if you scream. That just makes it all the better for me. I love it when they scream."

He advanced on her, pinning her to the wall between the tub and the sink. Sydney struggled but it was no use. He was just so much bigger and stronger than she was.

He dragged her into her bedroom, thinking that he'd be better able to control her there. Tying her down to her bed, he proceeded to rape her three times that night before telling her that no one would ever believe her if she told them.

She had been amazed that no one had noticed that she was walking a little tenderly and that she was avoiding sitting down as much as possible.

_**Flashback ends**_

"You loved it and you know it." Michael was smirking at her. She was at his mercy and he knew it. He held up a syringe. "This will keep you just docile enough for me to be able to keep you under control. That way I can touch you whenever I want to."

Sydney tried to pull away as he came closer with the needle. She'd always hated needles and knowing that this one would allow him to get close to her didn't help matters any. "Don't you come near me with that, you sick bastard!" she shrieked.

Michael just laughed as he sat down on her legs and pressed the needle into her. Syd was terrified. She didn't know what else to do so she just kept fighting him as he depressed the plunger.

As she fought, she felt the blackness coming back up around her. Her last conscious thought as she went back under was 'Sorry, Gage.'


	6. Chapter 6

DISCLAIMER: Walker and the gang don't belong to me. But man would I love to have Gage around for a while.

SUMMARY: Sydney's been taken by the gang that has Gage's little sister Jessie. One of them is a face from her nightmares who's decided that he'll keep her just sedated enough so she doesn't fight him when he decides that he wants her. What will Gage do when he finds out that they lost Sydney? How are they going to find her?

FEEDBACK: I thrive on it. I'll write without it but it won't be as fast or as often.

* * *

Sydney woke up laying on a different bed. Her mind was so cloudy that she could hardly tell that she was in a different room. She saw the young lady sitting on the chair near the bed. "Hi," she rasped. Why was her throat so dry? What was going on?

"You're awake. Thank goodness." The young woman stood up and felt her way to the stand next to the bed. She lifted a glass of water to hand to Sydney.

Sydney reached out and took the glass from the young woman as she sat up on the bed. "Who are you?"

"My name's Jessica Gage. I've been here almost a month. They told me that I'll be here another two months before they ----" Jessie's voice broke. Michael had taken great pleasure in telling her what was going to happen to her when she got sent to the sheik's son.

"It's okay…. My name's Sydney Cooke. I – I -- I'm a Texas Ranger."

"A Ranger? What company are you with? Do you know Francis Gage?"

Sydney smiled. Her mind was clearing a little now. "I do. He's my partner. I came in here on purpose. I'm supposed to try to help my boss get you out of here. Unfortunately, the tracker in my arm was removed. I don't know if they even know where I am now."

"It's okay. I know Frank pretty well. He'll find us."

"The department put him on leave until this is resolved. They're afraid that he's too close to the case."

Jessie shook her head. "It doesn't matter. He'll find us. I know he will." Jessie had more confidence in her brother than in anyone else. If anyone could find them, it would be Frank.

* * *

Walker and Trivette knocked on the door of Gage's apartment. This wasn't going to be easy. They both knew their friend wasn't going to take this news well.

Gage opened the door. The dark circles under his eyes told both older men that the younger Ranger hadn't slept much or well in the past few days since his sister disappeared. He stumbled back from the door and Walker reached for him as he nearly fell.

"Who is it, Francis?" Julie Gage came out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel. She smiled on seeing the two older Rangers. "Hello. How are you two lately?"

"Erika's fine. She's at home with the kids. They've been sick lately with the usual colds. I've been fine," Trivette spoke up, giving Julie a quick hug.

"And you, Walker?"

"Alex is feeling a little under the weather and Angela's growing like a weed. She's becoming more and more like her mother everyday."

"I hope that Alex is okay." Julie was concerned. Alex was a good friend to her.

"She will be. In nine months or so."

Julie almost squealed. "She's pregnant?"

Walker smiled. "She is. She's a little worried about this one after everything that happened with Angela."

"Just remind her that she needs to stay out of trouble. No jumping into life threatening situations this time." Julie was teasing and Walker knew it. But Alex did have a tendency to get herself into really dangerous situations.

"I'll tell her you said that," Walker teased.

"Well, I'm guessing you came by to give Francis some news about how things are going in getting our little sister back." It wasn't a question. Julie could read people like a book most days.

"We did. It's not good news." Walker was a little hesitant and Gage picked up on it instantly.

"Syd's missing. You found her tracker but not her. She's gone and you have no way of knowing where she is." The younger man spoke up from the couch where he sat. His voice was dead. He had known that it wouldn't be good. Somehow, he had known the minute he heard the knock on the door.

"Now, Francis, you don't know that," Julie started.

"I do. I know. She's gone. I told her I didn't like this idea. That it was bound to get dangerous." He stood up and walked over to the window, picking up a bottle of something as he passed the end table. "I told her that I didn't want her to do this."

Walker and Trivette watched dumbfounded as Gage lifted the bottle and took a big swallow of the amber colored liquid within. They had never seen their friend like this.

Julie ushered the two men out into the hallway. "He's been like this for days. I stopped by for a surprise visit three days ago and found him almost unconscious in the living room with something burning on the stove. The apartment was trashed. I started cleaning things up and managed to get him sober enough to tell me what was going on. Then I called Sharon. She told me what had happened from there. I lied to her, Walker. I didn't have the heart to tell her that Jessie had to do what she did because she was feeling smothered." At the look on Walker's face, Julie continued. "Jessie called me about two weeks ago telling me that Sharon wouldn't really let her do anything on her own. She felt like running away if Sharon didn't start giving her some freedom. Jessie's about to turn eighteen and she felt like she was being treated like a little kid."

"Well, she is blind." Trivette wasn't sure where this was leading.

"Blind but not crippled, Jimmy. She's always been independent, even when we were younger, before the accident. Sharon admitted to me that lately she's been feeling kind of desperate to keep at least one of the kids with her for a while yet. All of her own kids have grown up and moved out and the only 'kid' left in the house is Jessie and she would be going off to college in the fall. Sharon's afraid of being left alone in such a large house."

"So you told her everything was going fine?" Walker could understand Julie's dilemma. Julie was a woman who didn't like to hurt people she was close to.

"I told her that Francis and Jessie were out picking up stuff for dinner. Walker, I don't know if I can lie to her again. I don't want her thinking that this is all her fault. Francis already thinks that."

"How can he believe that this is his fault?" Jimmy asked.

"Because, after all these years, he still thinks it's his fault that Jessie's blind."


	7. Chapter 7

DISCLAIMER: Walker and the gang don't belong to me. But man would I love to have Gage around for a while.

SUMMARY: Sydney's been taken by the gang that has Gage's little sister Jessie. One of them is a face from her nightmares who's decided that he'll keep her just sedated enough so she doesn't fight him when he decides that he wants her. What will Gage do when he finds out that they lost Sydney? How are they going to find her?

FEEDBACK: I thrive on it. I'll write without it but it won't be as fast or as often.

* * *

Sydney was trying to figure out how to flag down some help. So far, Michael hadn't raped her, just groped her a few times. She knew that that state of affairs wouldn't last if he decided it was time to take her.

She needed to send out a signal. But that was the problem. She didn't have a cell phone, or any way to tell them where she was even if she did. If she had a flashlight, -- that was it.

"Jessie, do you know if there's a flashlight around here somewhere?"

"There's one in the top drawer of the stand by the bed. I found it while looking around the room. Wanted to know what was here."

"Perfect." Sydney jumped off the bed only to sit back down because her head started spinning. She hadn't been able to eat much for the past few days just wondering when Michael was going to make his move.

"Sydney?" Jessie's voice seemed to be coming from a long way off. "Sydney, are you okay?"

"I'm not sure, Jessie. Can you get the flashlight out of the drawer? I may need you to do this for me."

"What's wrong?"

"Whatever drug they've been giving me makes me kind of weak." Syd heard the drawer open and Jessie fumble around a little for the flashlight that was in there.

"I've got it. What do you want me to do next?" Jessie felt good. She was going to help get them out of here.

"We have to wait until dark for the next part. We're going to flash an SOS out the window with the flashlight. It'll be a while probably before anyone actually notices it, but it's the best chance we've got."

"If it gets us out of here, I'm all for it." Jessie couldn't stop thinking about the things Michael had told her, all those things that he said would happen to her once they sent her out of the country.

"Jessie, you know that your brother won't let anything happen to you without payback."

"I know. I just can't help but think about what they told me would happen to me once they sent me to that man." Sydney slowly stood up and walked over to Jessie. She draped one arm over the younger woman's shoulder. "He made sure that he told me what they were going to do to me in detail. He seemed to enjoy making me nervous, if the tone of his voice was any indication."

"I won't let anything happen to you."

"And I won't let anything happen to you." The two women started to make their plans for how to flash out an SOS.

* * *

Julie sat next to her brother. He was finally asleep. He hadn't moved off the couch since Walker and Trivette had left.

"Snap out of it, Francis. Jessie and Sydney need you and you have to be ready when it comes time to bring them home," she whispered before going into the kitchen to start supper.

Meanwhile, Gage's dreams were awful things that he couldn't seem to wake up from.

_Gage burst into a room in a warehouse. There was blood everywhere. He saw the familiar honey blonde hair of his sister poking out from beneath the bed. Running to her, he heard Sydney screaming from another room._

_Stopping in the middle of the room, Gage couldn't decide whether to save Sydney or to check on Jessie. His heart was torn as he listened to Sydney's screams. It would take a lot to make Syd scream that way._

_Looking at Jessie, he whispered, "I'm sorry, sis. I failed you again." He turned and ran toward Syd._

_Bursting into that room, he discovered that Sydney had been tied up. The men in that room were beating her to death. Two were anyway. The third man was slowly cutting into Sydney with a very wicked looking blade._

_"Sydney!" he yelled, running toward her. The men turned and saw him coming. The one with the knife made a vicious slashing motion and the three men ran from the room, leaving Gage with a dying Sydney._

_After untying her, Gage sank to the floor, gently cradling Syd in his arms. He pushed the hair back from her face. "Don't leave me, Syd. Please don't leave me." Tears began to flow freely down his face as he gazed down into her eyes._

_"I love you, Gage," Syd croaked out just as the light died in her eyes and she let go of her last breath._

"NO!!!" Gage screamed, sitting bolt upright on the couch.

Julie came running from the kitchen at the sound of her brother's cries. She sat down next to him. "Francis, what is it?"

"I have to save them. I can't lose Syd without telling her I love her and I refuse to fail Jessie again." He stood up. "Julie, I'm going to go take a shower. Will you call Walker and ask him and Trivette to come over here? It's time to find the girls."

Julie just sat there for a moment, dumbfounded. She shook her head and moved to the phone. If a nightmare could make Francis Gage get his head on straight to save the two girls he loved, then maybe nightmares weren't all bad.


	8. Chapter 8

DISCLAIMER: Walker and the gang don't belong to me. But man would I love to have Gage around for a while.

SUMMARY: Sydney's been taken by the gang that has Gage's little sister Jessie. One of them is a face from her nightmares who's decided that he'll keep her just sedated enough so she doesn't fight him when he decides that he wants her. What will Gage do when he finds out that they lost Sydney? How are they going to find her?

FEEDBACK: I thrive on it. I'll write without it but it won't be as fast or as often.

* * *

Sydney was getting worse. Every day, Michael came in and gave her a shot. Every day, Syd got weaker. She didn't even have the strength to get off the bed and to the bathroom by herself.

Michael apparently didn't notice this fact or simply didn't care. He simply kept coming in and Syd kept getting weaker and weaker. Jessie was hoping at this point that Frank would find them before Sydney was dead.

The two young women had alternated flashing the signal at first. But after three days, Sydney didn't even have the strength to get off the bed much less flash the signal.

"Frank, please find us. Hurry." Jessie continued flashing the SOS as she cried for her new friend.

* * *

Gage had taken to driving around at night. He was hoping that he would find some clue as to where the girls were. Walker didn't like the idea much but he couldn't actually stop Gage from driving wherever he liked.

Gage had driven into the warehouse district when he caught a glimpse of a flashing light. He pulled off to the side of the road and watched as the light spelled out SOS in Morse code.

Punching numbers on his cell phone, he watched the signal repeated steadily. "Walker, it's Gage. I'm in the warehouse district. I'm across from a warehouse where a light is blinking an SOS through a window." He spouted off the address and hung up.

Standing beside his car, he waited for Walker and Trivette to arrive just as he'd been told. The light stopped flashing. "Hurry up, boss."

* * *

Not ten minutes after hanging up with Gage, Walker was on his way to the courthouse to pick up a search warrant. The judge had been very understanding when Walker had explained the situation. He just hoped that his instincts were right about finding the girls while wrong about just how ugly the situation they would find them in would be.

* * *

"Jessie?" Syd croaked from the bed.

Jessie left her post at the window to come back to Sydney's side. "What is it, Syd?"

"Can you help me to the bathroom?" Syd looked like she was about to cry. She hated being this weak.

"Not just yet, sweet Syd," Michael sang out as he danced into the room with a syringe in hand. He took a firm grip on Sydney's arm as he jabbed the needle home and pressed the plunger.

Turning to Jessie, he spoke. "I'll take her. No need for you to hurt yourself trying to carry her." He picked up Syd and carried the young Ranger into the bathroom. Jessie stood by helplessly, with tears running down her face, as the bathroom door locked with an ominous sound.

* * *

"Remember, Gage. You're not supposed to be here." Walker hated reminding the young man but he knew how Gage was.

"I'm not here. I know." Gage had his gun out and was waiting for the signal to go. Walker nodded.

"Texas Rangers! Open up!" Walker called out from one side of the door. When there was no answer, he didn't hesitate to kick open the door.

The three men rushed into the building, guns drawn. The two men that dashed out of the office were quickly subdued and cuffed.

With a nod to his boss, Gage headed down the hall that led back toward where he had seen the flashing light. He froze when he saw one of the doors opening. "Texas Ranger! Come out slowly with your hands up!" he yelled as he went down to one knee.

"Frank? Frank, is that you?" Jessie's voice was music to his ears.

"Jessie? Honey, if that's you and you're alone, come on out. Slowly." He couldn't take any chances.

Jessie held both hands out where they could be seen and walked out of the room slowly. She knew he was worried that someone would be using her as a shield in order to take him out. As soon as she was out the door, she drifted forward and away from the wall.

"Are you okay, Jessie?" he asked, stepping forward. He was worried because there were tears streaming down his sister's face.

"I'm fine. Sydney's not. She's weak. Frank, they've been giving her shots of something. It's making her so weak. She can't even get out of bed by herself. He took her into the bathroom and locked the door." She found herself wrapped in her big brother's arms and let herself relax against his chest.

Gage led Jessie down the hall to where Walker and Trivette were trying to figure out where Gage had wandered off to.

"Walker, Trivette, I'd like you to meet my sister, Jessie. Jessie, the two men who are right in front of you are my superiors, Cordell Walker and James Trivette."

Jessie's reaction to Trivette's name didn't escape notice. "Please, Frank. You have to save Sydney. I don't know what he's doing to her."

"I'll stay with Jessie," Trivette volunteered. Walker and Gage both nodded, heading off down the hall.

* * *

Michael had decided that it was time for some payback for what Syd had done to him all those years ago.

After sitting her on the toilet, he took up a position leaning on the door. "You see, my sweet little Sydney, you were supposed to die on that mountain which would have let me off scot-free. But you were just too stubborn to die. At least, I had two months of freedom while you were in that coma." He stood straight for a moment and slapped Sydney's face, hard.

"When precious Danielle found out that I was the one behind your disappearance, she tried to leave me. I taught her that people only leave me when I'm tired of them. Did your mother ever tell you about how she found Dani the day I was arrested?"

Sydney felt the tears start flowing down her face. She missed her sister. Her beautiful sister who had committed suicide just after finding out that she was pregnant with Michael's daughter. She couldn't have an abortion but she couldn't stand the thought of having his child. Danielle had thrown herself off a cliff not far from where Sydney had been found after the bastard had left her out to die.

Syd remembered well what Michael had done to her on her sixteenth birthday.

"_I'll take Syd to school this morning," he offered that fateful morning. Mom was running late, Dad had already left for work and Danielle had things to do that morning._

"_Thank you, Michael. I really appreciate it." _

"_Don't forget, Dani. I have to go out of town for about a week." _

"_I remember, sweetheart. Just be careful." Dani kissed Michael on his cheek and ruffled Sydney's hair before walking out the door. Michael looked at Sydney with a look that frightened her half to death. _

_They walked out the front door and got into Michael's car. Pulling out of the driveway, Sydney noticed that they turned in the opposite direction of her school. "Where are we going?" she asked._

"_Up to a little place I have in the woods. I'm going to help you celebrate your sixteenth birthday the right way, sweet little Syd." He laughed and Sydney started pulling on the handle for the door. It wasn't opening no matter what she did. "I activated the child locks. You can't get out until I let you out." He laughed again and Sydney started crying._

"_Shut up, you little tramp." He slapped her face and her head hit the window, knocking her for a loop. _

_When they arrived at the cabin, Michael dragged Sydney inside and proceeded to rip her clothes off before chaining her to the bed. There was a decent length of chain attached to the cuffs so he could move her around. She just couldn't leave the cabin._

_Six days later, Michael had come back from the little store just down the road and told her that it was too dangerous to keep her around any longer. Fists had rained down on her until she fell to the floor. Then, he started kicking her in the ribs and the stomach. _

_She passed out, hoping that he would kill her. She didn't know if she wanted to live through this beating. It was worse than the others he'd administered through the week right from the start. _

_Waking up some time later, Syd realized that she had been dumped on the side of the road. She was naked and it was going to be cold. She knew that she had to try to get to civilization. _

'_Okay, legs are broken and so are ankles. Lots of pain in the ribs too. Probably a few of those broken. Maybe I can drag myself down the road and find someone that can get me to a hospital.' _

_She had too. She had pulled herself along the road, one inch at a time until she had been found by a police officer who was actually out looking for her. Michael had driven her to a different county and held her for the week, raping and beating her. He figured that when he dumped her she'd die out there long before anyone could find her._

She had been in a coma for two months after they found her. When she woke, she told her mother what had happened. The DA hadn't been sure if they could convict him. But the fight began and they succeeded. Michael went to jail for almost fifteen years.

"I haven't been able to find my lovely Dani since I got out. Would you happen to know where I could find her?"

"She's dead," whispered the saddened young woman. "She killed herself two months after you went to jail. She found out she was pregnant with your daughter. She threw herself off a cliff not too far from where you dumped me." She sniffled. "We put up a stone for her daughter too. Shandra Leigh Cooke."

"Danielle wouldn't have done that! She wouldn't have killed our daughter!" Michael was angry. Syd knew that, with the shape she was in right now, he could kill her quite easily. "And, even if what you say is true, why would you bury my daughter under her mother's maiden name?"

"Because you didn't deserve Dani. You never did. She was good and beautiful. You're just a loser who smothered her and made her kill herself. And you didn't even come close to deserving a little girl. Not after what you did to me."

Michael slapped her again. Grabbing her shirt, he ripped it open, sending the buttons flying throughout the room. Just then, a knock came at the door.

* * *

Walker and Gage stalked into the room. Taking up positions on either side of the door, Gage called out to his partner. "Syd? You okay in there partner?"

"Gage?" she called. She didn't get to say anything else because Michael grabbed her and put a gun to her temple as he pulled her up to stand in front of him. Not that she could actually stand. He had to hold her up because of the shots.

The door crashed open and Syd found herself looking into the concerned eyes of her partner. "Syd, what's going on here?"

"Gage, this is my ex-brother-in-law, Michael Alexander." Tears fell from her eyes as she saw the shock cross Gage's face.


	9. Chapter 9

DISCLAIMER: Walker and the gang don't belong to me. But man would I love to have Gage around for a while.

SUMMARY: Sydney's been taken by the gang that has Gage's little sister Jessie. One of them is a face from her nightmares who's decided that he'll keep her just sedated enough so she doesn't fight him when he decides that he wants her. What will Gage do when he finds out that they lost Sydney? How are they going to find her?

FEEDBACK: I thrive on it. I'll write without it but it won't be as fast or as often.

* * *

"Yeah. We're just having a little reunion here so if you don't mind, I'd like to be left alone with my little sister."

The look on Sydney's face told Gage all he needed to know. It was not what she wanted. "Sorry, man. Not going to happen." He leveled his gun at the man's head, knowing that if he was going to fire, there would be no room for mistakes.

"Get out of here or she dies."

"You hurt her and there won't be a force in heaven or on earth that will save you from me." The cold tone of Gage's voice convinced Michael that he was serious. But Michael also knew that if he let go of Sydney he would loose his only bargaining chip.

"Gage," Sydney could only choke out the one word before Michael tightened his grip around her throat. She was scared; it was all over her face.

Walker knew that he had to diffuse this situation before Gage killed the guy. That was something that would scar him forever. Not the fact of the killing, just the situation. It wasn't one that he wanted to see happen.

"Gage, back out of here. Go back to Jessie," Walker told his young friend.

"Not until my partner's safe."

"You aren't in any position right now to ensure that." Walker knew that, if he could get Gage out of the room, he could get Syd away from this guy. "Go, Gage. You know that I'll take care of Sydney."

Gage reluctantly realized that this was one time that his emotions were a hindrance instead of a gift. He stepped back from the door.

The minute he was outside the bedroom door, Walker made his first effort. "Let her go, man. You don't want to hurt her."

"Wrong answer. I want her dead. She's the reason I went to jail for ten years. I want her dead because she turned my wife against me to the point that she committed suicide rather than have my baby." Michael was crying. Walker knew that his opportunity was coming.

"And if you kill her, I guarantee that you won't walk out that door. Because if I don't kill you, her partner will."

"He loves her." Michael stated it flatly. He knew that Sydney's sister had been in love with him up to the point when she figured out what he had done to the younger Cooke. Somehow, she had known what he had done to Syd when she was thirteen. She had told him that right after she had found out that he had left her to die on that mountain road.

"Let her go. You'll go back to jail but you'll still be alive."

That was what snapped Michael. He tightened his grip on Sydney's neck a little further. "Not until this little bitch is cold in her grave!" he snarled. Walker lunged, knowing that he couldn't get to the man in time to keep the gun from going off against Syd's skull.

Sydney saw what was happening as if it was in slow motion. She saw Walker lunge, felt Michael step back, dragging her with him. She felt Michael's feet go out from under him as he stumbled against the tub. Falling into the tub, she heard the gun go off and then, blackness.

Walker stood for a moment. The powder burns on Sydney's face looked pretty bad, but that wasn't what had Walker worried. There was blood coming from the back of head where she had also hit the tub.

Gage ran into the room. He pulled up short as he saw Syd lying in the tub. The powder burns drew her attention first. Kneeling beside the tub, he felt for Sydney's pulse.

Sighing as he found it, he sat back on his heels only to find a towel handed to him. "Put this over her, Gage," Walker instructed, gesturing to her chest.

That was the first Gage had noticed the fact that his partner's shirt had been torn wide open. He felt tears streaming down his face as he draped the towel over Sydney's chest.

Sitting back, he hung his head. "I'm sorry, Syd. I'm sorry."

Walker put his hand on his young friend's shoulder, lending his support.

"Walker, everything okay in there? We heard gun shot." Trivette's voice turned Walker's head.

Walking out of the room, he saw Jimmy helping Jessie to sit down on the bed. "Sydney's hurt. She's unconscious. I'm calling the ambulance."

"Where's Frank?" Jessie asked. Walker didn't need to answer though, because at that moment, Gage walked out with tears still streaming down his face. He dropped to his knees in front of his sister and lay his head in her lap.

"I'm sorry. I failed her. Just like I did you." Trivette looked at Walker who just nodded his head and gestured to the door. The partners stepped out of the bedroom closing the door behind them.


	10. Chapter 10

DISCLAIMER: Walker and the gang don't belong to me. But man would I love to have Gage around for a while.

SUMMARY: Sydney's been taken by the gang that has Gage's little sister Jessie. One of them is a face from her nightmares who's decided that he'll keep her just sedated enough so she doesn't fight him when he decides that he wants her. What will Gage do when he finds out that they lost Sydney? How are they going to find her?

FEEDBACK: I thrive on it. I'll write without it but it won't be as fast or as often.

* * *

Jessie had tears in her eyes. Gage was standing at the window, looking outside. Julie was sitting next to Jessie trying to comfort her. Alex was standing in Walker's embrace, tears in her eyes. Trivette and Erica stood just to one side of the door.

"Rangers?" When the doctor had their attention, he continued. "Ranger Cooke is in a coma. We don't know if it's because of the blow to the head or the drugs. For the moment, we are hopeful that she'll regain consciousness within the next 24 hours."

Gage was still looking out the window as if he hadn't heard anything. "Can I see her?"

"Of course. Follow me." Gage followed the doctor, not even stopping to look at his sisters.

Jessie hung her head. "This is all my fault," she whispered.

"No, Jess. No." Julie wrapped her arms around the youngest Gage. "No, baby. It's not your fault."

"It is. If I hadn't come down here, Sydney wouldn't be in a coma right now."

Julie was anxious to calm her sister down. "You don't know that."

"I do. I wish she was okay. I wish I hadn't come down here. Then, Frank wouldn't hate me." Jessie's voice broke on the last sentence and she started sobbing as if she was all alone in the world.

"Jessie, Gage doesn't hate you," Alex said, dropping to one knee in front of the young woman. "He's just worried about Sydney."

"I don't have a place to stay. I hadn't arranged anything because I thought I'd be staying with Frank. I guess I could get a hotel room."

"Nonsense. You'll come stay at the ranch with us." Alex was determined to show Jessie that this was not her fault. At the first sign that Jessie was about to argue with her, Alex put her foot down. "I won't take no for an answer."

"Jessie, trust me. It's best not to argue with her when she gets like this," Walker chuckled. Alex turned a look on him that made him throw up his hands and back up a couple of steps.

"Don't listen to him, Jessie. He just says it because he never wins an argument with me." Alex laughed, feeling some of the tension ease almost immediately.

"Okay," Jessie giggled. "Could we go now? I really hate hospitals."

"Of course, honey." As she pulled Jessie to her feet, Alex turned to her husband. "Let Gage know?"

Walker got the message: tell Gage that Jessie's safe and how she feels. He nodded.

After Alex left with Jessie, Walker noticed that Julie was heading for the door. "Where do you think you're going, Julie?"

"To knock some sense into my little brother." Walker took a hold of her arm.

"Hold on, Julie. I'll go talk to him. Alex asked me to." He smiled at the woman. "Besides, I'm not the one that wants to knock him into next week."

Julie just looked at him. "But, if my talk doesn't work, you can feel free to knock the living daylights out of him." Walker was smiling at the thought of watching Julie and Gage go at it in the ring.

"Fine. But if he doesn't listen, he gets a piece of my mind."

"Probably Alex's too." Walker left the room.

* * *

"Gage, how is she?"

"She's so still, Walker. How could I let this happen?"

"Gage, I think you ought to know that Alex took Jessie out to the ranch. Jessie's been in tears, thinking you hate her." Gage spun to look up at his boss. "That's right. She thinks that this is her fault and you hate her for it. Which, by the way, has got Julie ready to knock you into next week. Alex isn't any too happy with you either."

Gage winced. He knew that things had to be pretty bad for Julie to want to resort to violence. "I don't hate Jessie. I'm just not sure how to deal with her right now."

"You might want to take a little while and think about how to talk to Julie and Jessie. When you're ready, I'll have them both out at the ranch." Walker stepped out to take Julie out to the ranch.

When he walked into the waiting room, Julie was waiting for him. "What did he say?"

"He says he doesn't hate her; he's just not sure how to deal with her right now. I told him that I'd have both of you out at the ranch when he's ready to talk to you." Walker paused. "Why don't I take you out to the ranch to be with Jessie and then he'll have some time to think about what's going on?"

"Okay. But only because my baby sister needs me right now." Julie followed Walker out.


	11. Chapter 11

DISCLAIMER: Walker and the gang don't belong to me. But man would I love to have Gage around for a while.

SUMMARY: Sydney's in a coma. Jessie's afraid that Gage hates her now and blames her for Sydney's state. Alex has taken Jessie out to the ranch and Walker brought Julie out there to help with Jessie. Can Gage pull himself together enough to convince Jessie that he doesn't hate her?

FEEDBACK: I thrive on it. I'll write without it but it won't be as fast or as often.

* * *

Jessie sat on the couch when Julie arrived. When Julie entered the room and saw her little sister sitting on the couch in tears, she turned to Walker. "Can I take her for a horseback ride? I promise we won't go far."

"Of course. I'll go saddle up a couple of horses for the two of you. You talk to her."

Walker left the house and Alex followed him in order to give the sisters time to talk.

"Alex, are you okay?" Walker was worried about his wife.

"I've never seen Gage like this. Walker, I can't lie to you. It scares me." She had tears in her eyes. "Jessie told me about how Gage always used to call her and let her know that he was okay and make sure that she was too. She didn't stop crying the whole way here."

Alex found herself wrapped in her husband's arms. "Gage will work this out in his head, Alex. You have to believe that. Before you know it, Sydney will be fine and Gage will have pulled himself together enough to talk to Jessie."

"She seems so lost without him," Alex cried.

"I know. But he'll find his way back." Walker silently hoped that was the case. His friend needed to pull himself together.

* * *

Jessie was in tears and Julie was angry. "I can't believe he hasn't tried to talk to us yet. He just walked away from us." Julie was pacing back and forth in front of her sister.

"Jules, he's just worried about Sydney. I'm worried about her too."

"So am I, Jess. But he could have at least tried to comfort us too. You've been blaming yourself. He knew it."

"Julie, it is my fault. I did nothing when he was giving her those shots. I just stood by and let him continue drugging her. I think it was worse for her knowing that eventually he would take her and she couldn't do anything about it than if he had actually done it every time he threatened her." Jessie sniffled. "I just stood there."

"Jess, don't. Don't do this to yourself." Julie couldn't stand to see her little sister like this. It had been years since she had seemed so helpless. Julie remembered it as though it were just yesterday.

_**FLASHBACK**_

Jessie was so young to be trying to go through this. She had to learn how to get around without her eyes. Julie had been told not to do everything for her; that she needed to learn to do for herself because there wouldn't always be someone with her to do things she needed done.

She watched almost helplessly as Jessie stumbled and fell repeatedly. The bruises on her shins were growing daily instead of fading. Julie had to bit her tongue hard many times to keep from speaking out to direct her baby sister. Frank had left the room just as often to keep from running over and picking her up.

The first time Jessie tried to stand after the accident, she fell almost immediately. After a few tries, she was able to stand up but not walk.

Days later, she finally took her first steps. Two steps and fall down. Pulled herself back up, took another two steps and fell again. Julie felt the tears well up in her eyes as she watched helplessly as her little sister fell again and again.

"I can't do this," Jessie cried at one point, sitting on the floor and punching her legs.

Frank knelt in front of her, taking her hands. "I know you can do this, Jessie. You're strong and brave and you're my sister. That's how I know you can do this."

"You're not me. Other kids will laugh at me. They'll think it's funny that I can't run and play like they do."

"No, Jessie. They'll think it's neat that you can get around without seeing the things that they have to. They'll think it's neat that you don't have to have the lights on to find your way around a room."

"I can't do it, Frank. I just can't!" She curled up on the floor and cried heartbrokenly for hours. Frank and Julie just sat with her and kept their hands on her so that she knew they were there and not leaving her.

**_END FLASHBACK_**

All Julie could do is sit next to her sister for a moment and put an arm around her shoulders to demonstrate that she would be there for her no matter what.

That's how Alex found the two girls when she came to tell them that Walker had saddled two horses for them to ride.


	12. Chapter 12

DISCLAIMER: Not mine. But I wish.

SUMMARY: Jessie and Julie are out at Walker's ranch. Syd's still in the hospital.

A/N: I'm sorry about the delay on this one. It's been ready for a while. I just didn't realize that I hadn't posted it yet.

* * *

Jessie and Julie were comfortable on horseback with both of them being capable equestriennes. They were enjoying the warm late afternoon sunshine.

Julie found herself relaxing, her anger at her brother fading quickly next to the beauty of the area they were riding through. "Jessie, what are you thinking of doing? I mean now that you're out of high school?"

"I was thinking of law school. I think that I could make a difference to people who need help. I think I'd make a really good DA."

"That you would, Jess. That you would."

_**FLASHBACK**_

_After her little temper tantrum, and a long talk with Gage, Jessie had determined that she would not miss another year of school just for this. She was pushing herself hard and making great leaps of progress but it worried the doctor. He was afraid that she could do more harm than good by pushing herself like that._

"_Julie, Frank, you have to talk to her. She has to slow down a little. I'm afraid she's going to hurt herself by pushing too hard."_

"_We'll talk to her, doctor. Maybe we can make her see." Julie walked into the room to talk to her sister with their brother by her side. _

_What ensued was another temper tantrum, one in which Jessie accused them of trying to hold her back and keep her helpless. After several minutes of her yelling at them, Frank took a hold of her arms and made her sit down and listen for a moment._

"_Jessie, we aren't trying to hold you back. We want you to be well again. The doctor told us that if you push too hard, you could hurt yourself and then it would take even longer to heal. Please listen, Jessie. We love you and don't want to see you hurt more." Julie had pled with her sister for several minutes with tears running down her face before the message had gotten through to the young girl._

_Jessie had settled down after that and worked at an acceptable pace. _

_**END FLASHBACK**_

Both girls started laughing as they talked about that. They were laughing so hard that they didn't hear the sounds of danger that suddenly cropped up around them.

The horses started nickering and dancing backward a bit. They were nervous but the girls didn't understand why. Suddenly, the horse Jessie was on reared up, dumping Jessie on the ground.

It ran off, followed by Julie's horse with Julie hanging on for dear life.

"Julie? Julie?" Jessie called. She was feeling around cautiously when she heard the sound. 'Rattlesnake.' "Julie!" she cried, pulling her hands back in toward herself.

* * *

Julie was thankful to see the barn looming in the distance. She was even happier to see Walker standing in front of the barn, holding on to the halter of Jessie's horse.

Walker handed the reins to Alex before stepping in front of Julie's horse, bringing it to a halt. "Julie, what happened? Where's Jessie?"

"She got thrown, Walker! We have to go get her!" Walker went over to the other horse and swung himself into the saddle.

"Walker, please bring her back." Alex had already taken a shine to the young woman and admired her strength.

"I will. Don't worry, counselor. She'll be back here before you know it."

The two of them rode off.

* * *

Jessie heard the horses coming. She also felt the vibrations of their hooves. The rattles started up again. The rattlesnakes around her had just settled down when they picked up the approach of the horses.

She moved a little, getting stiff from sitting in one position. Then, she felt the strike. Crying out softly, her voice hoarse from yelling to make sure they could find her, Jessie knew what had happened. She'd been bitten. She knew that the worst thing she could do right now was panic; she had read somewhere that panicking would just push the venom through her system faster. She took a deep breath and forced herself to sit still.

Her hand started going numb and she started to get scared. The horses were close. She hadn't realized that they had been gone so long. She knew it was dark; she couldn't feel the sun anymore.

A flashlight played across Jessie's face. "Jessie!" Walker's voice was so welcome.

"Walker, be careful. There's rattlers all over the place," Jessie called.

"Can you stand up?" Jessie stretched out her legs carefully. She felt another strike on her ankle.

Forcing herself to stay as calm as possible, she pulled herself up. "Okay. Now what?"

"Okay. Just stand still for a moment. Don't move." Walker pulled out his gun and drew a bead on some of the snakes, shooting carefully around the young woman. When he had scared away or killed enough, he rode up to Jessie and took a hold of the hand with the bite on it. Pulling her up, he noticed the swelling in the hand. "Were you bitten?" he asked.

"Twice. Once on the hand and once on the ankle." Walker settled Jessie against him and turned back toward the ranch, Julie following behind him.

He pulled out his cell phone. "Alex, call for LifeFlight. Jessie's been bitten by rattlers twice. We're on our way in."

Back at the ranch, Alex made the call and then sat down on the porch to wait for her husband, hoping that he made it back in time.

* * *

By the time Walker got back to the ranch, the LifeFlight chopper was sitting in the front yard waiting for them. They had thankfully been briefed on the situation and had the anti-venom with them. They immediately injected Jessie with it and loaded her in the chopper for the ride to the hospital.

Walker and Julie got in the truck and headed out with strict orders from Alex to call and let her know how Jessie was.

* * *

Upon arrival, Julie and Walker went straight to the nurse in the triage area. "There was a young lady just brought in with two rattler bites. We need to know how she is."

"She was in pretty bad shape when she got here, Walker. She apparently had an allergic reaction to the anti-venom. They're working on her right now. I'll make sure the doctor knows that you're here."

"Thanks, Catherine." Julie and Walker went to the waiting room. "Why don't you go up and tell Gage what's happened?" Walker knew that his young friend would want to know about this latest development.

"He's going to be mad at me. I let this happen." Julie broke into tears. She was terrified that she was going to loose her little sister.

"Just go talk to him. Tell him that if he wants to come down here, I'll go up and sit with Syd." Julie nodded and walked out of the waiting room.

* * *

Julie knocked on the door to Syd's room and pushed it open. Her brother was sitting next to the bed holding the hand of his partner. "Francis?"

He started. "Julie? What are you doing here?"

She stepped in, tears starting to trickle down her face. Gage saw the tears and stood up. Julie didn't cry often and it had to be something bad for her to start crying like this.

"What happened, Jules? Is it Jessie?" Wrapping his sister in his arms, he hugged her tight.

Julie pulled herself together. "Jessie and I went riding out at Walker's ranch. Apparently, we rode right into a nest of rattlesnakes. My horse ran off with me holding on for dear life. Jessie got thrown."

"Is she okay?"

"She got bit twice. Francis, she had an allergic reaction to the anti-venom. She's downstairs in the ER now. Walker's down there. He called for LifeFlight on the way back from getting Jessie. I'm just glad the horses were trained to go back to the ranch. I led him back to her." Julie couldn't even look her brother in the eye. She felt so guilty.

"Julie, look at me." She didn't so he took a hold of her chin and pulled so she would have to look at him. "This isn't your fault. If you guys hadn't been mad at me, you wouldn't have gone so far out. Let's go back downstairs and see how she's doing."

He walked back over to the bed and bent over his partner's form so still on the bed. "I'll be back, Shorty. I promise."

He walked out the door with Julie. He had to check on his baby sister.


	13. Chapter 13

DISCLAIMER: Not mine. I wish though.

SUMMARY: Julie's in the ER and Syd's still out of it.

A/N: I know it's been a while since my last update on this one. Sorry.

* * *

Walker looked up from the magazine he held in his hands as Gage and Julie came walking into the waiting room. "How's Syd?"

"No change, boss. She's still out." He took a deep breath. "How's Jess?"

"They've stabilized her and she seems to be okay for the moment. The doctor's been waiting for you to get here. She's in exam room 3 right now. I'll go up and sit with Syd for a bit."

Walker left the waiting room and headed for the elevator to go up to Syd's room. He knew that Gage and Julie would take care of Jessie.

* * *

Walking into Syd's room, Walker looked down at his young friend. "Sydney, you have to wake up soon. This is tearing Gage apart. He needs you." With that said, the older Ranger sat down in the chair next to her bed and prepared to wait.

Gage was in tears as he saw his baby sister laying on the gurney with wires and tubes running from her. He saw her hand and ankle, swollen and sore looking. Julie wasn't far behind him. The two of them took up seats on either side of their sibling and settled in for a long wait.

"Gage?" The whisper that came from the slight form on the bed woke Walker in an instant.

He stood up and leaned over the young woman. "Sydney, it's me. Walker. How do you feel?"

"Gage?" Her voice was weak. Walker hit the call button.

"Yes?" came the nurse's voice.

"The patient's awake. Get the doctor."

"Right away, Ranger Walker."

"Sydney, talk to me. Let's keep you awake for a few minutes." He really wanted her to stay awake so that he could fill her in on what was going on.

"Walker?"

He smiled. "It's me, Syd. Gage is downstairs in the ER with Julie and Jessie. You need to get better. Gage has been almost inseparable from you since we rescued you."

"I love him."

"I know. Just get better." Just then the doctor walked in and started checking over Syd as Walker continued talking to her.

* * *

Julie and Gage sat for what seemed hours, waiting for their sister to wake up. "Julie, I'm sorry. I never meant to make Jessie believe that Syd getting hurt was her fault. I just –"

"You love Sydney, don't you, Francis?" Julie asked, looking her brother dead in the eye.

"I do. If she hadn't made it…."

"You would have found a way to go on. That's what she would have wanted. You know that as well as anyone could."

"But I should have tried to comfort Jessie. I could see how much this was hurting her. But it took Walker telling me to make me realize what I was doing to her." He looked down at his hands and then looked back at Julie. "Forgive me?"

"You know me. I never could stay mad at you for long. Forgiven. Just don't do that again. Otherwise, I might have to be the living hell out of you. Just on principle."

Gage leaned over his little sister. "Wake up, Jessie. I'm sorry."

"Yes, you are," came the weak voice. Jessie's eyes fluttered open. She smiled as she felt Gage and Julie get closer.

"Hey, sis. You okay?" Gage asked.

"I'll be fine, Frank," Jessie replied, trying to sit up. Julie found the controls and sat the bed up so that her sister could relax.

The doctor came in to check on her only to find the three of them sitting there chatting as if nothing had happened.

* * *

Julie and Gage walked into Sydney's room to find her sitting up and looking around. Gage ran to her side and took her hand. "Syd, are you okay?"

"I will be. Just have a massive headache right now. What happened?"

"That creep's in jail. And, if things go right, he'll stay there. Of course, you'll have to testify in court, Syd."

"I kinda figured."

"Syd." Gage's soft voice told her what he was about to ask. "What's the story between you and Michael?"

Syd took a deep breath. She knew this was coming. She just didn't want to deal with it right now.

"It's alright if you don't want to talk about it right now," Julie told her, touching her hand.

"I guess I need to. It's the only way to really end this thing." She took a deep breath and Gage saw her eyes fade into a distance.

"It all started when I was thirteen. My older sister had just turned eighteen. My parents wanted to take her out for dinner but they couldn't find a sitter. Her boyfriend, Michael offered to watch me so that they could go. They didn't know what he had planned for the night. He walked in on me as I was getting out of the tub. I tried to fight him. I just didn't have the training that I do now. He – he raped me three times that night." Syd hung her head in shame.

"Syd, don't. You have no reason to be ashamed." Gage sat down on the side of her bed. He put his hands on her arms. Part of him just wanted to pull her in close and shelter her from her own memories.

She decided to skip over most of the details. That would end this story faster. "You don't understand. He did it repeatedly. Up until I was sixteen. That was when he kidnapped me. On my sixteenth birthday he took me away from my family and held me captive for a week. He found out that a lot of people were out looking for me. He beat me almost to death and dumped me on a mountain road. I was found and taken to the hospital. After a coma which lasted two months, I recovered enough to tell my story. Michael went to jail and then my sister killed herself when she found out she was pregnant with Michael's child."

"Syd, I'm so sorry." Gage's whisper was almost unheard in the silence. "So sorry."

"You told me you had a bad feeling about this whole idea. I should have listened." She turned her head away from him. "I just thought I could make things better for you by finding and rescuing Jessie."

"Syd, don't do this to yourself. You wanted to help me and just by wanting to, you did. I was terrified when you told me about the plan. I told myself that I couldn't lose you. Syd, I love you. Knowing that you're in danger, I just go nuts. Seeing you laying there in that tub, after you hit your head, I wanted to kill Michael. I probably would have if it hadn't been for Walker."

"And the fact that he died when he hit the tub. It broke his neck," Walker's voice was quiet in the silence that followed Gage's confession.

Sydney's eyes, which had turned to Walker when he made his announcement, turned back to Gage. Tears filled the beautiful eyes that Gage adored so much. "You love me?"

Gage nodded, knowing that trying to speak around the lump in his throat wouldn't work. He watched as the tears started spilling down Syd's cheeks and a spark of happiness lit up there as well. He swallowed hard and said it again. "I love you, Syd. I can't tell you exactly when it started. But I have been in love with you for a while now. Every single time you've been in danger or hurt, my heart almost freezes thinking about living without you."

"I love you too, Gage. I've known that much since I saw you laying on the floor of that cabin after having been mauled by that bear. I was so scared that you weren't going to pull through it. And when you kissed me when we found out that Walker and Alex were fine after their plane had almost been hijacked, I found myself wishing that we hadn't been in CD's. I wished we had been at your place or mine. I didn't want it to end but when you pulled away and started acting like it didn't mean anything, I just clamped down on those feelings and moved on."

"It meant so much to me that I only wished that Jimmy hadn't been there. I didn't care if it was a public place or not. You were so gorgeous that day, in your bridesmaid's dress, that I wanted to propose to you right then. I don't know what kept me quiet."

"You wanted to propose to me?"

Gage pulled the small box out of his pocket. "I've had this ring since just after getting mauled by that bear. You make me a better man, make me want to be a better man. Sydney, will you marry me?"

She felt the tears stream faster as she nodded. "I would love to." She smiled at him. "Of course, you would pick a time when I couldn't kick your butt for waiting so long to ask."

Walker laughed. His friends would be fine.


End file.
